Gloves, mittens and muffs have been used for thousands of years for warming and protecting the hands of their user. Human hands are often exposed to cold weather while working or enjoying recreational activities. They are used to retain heat and shield the cold from effecting the function and pain associated with long exposure of one's hands to the elements of cold weather. Gloves aid in retaining heat and shielding wind while allowing the use of each individual finger. Most gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb, but may also have an opening but no covering sheath for each finger (e.g., fingerless gloves).
Mittens, on the other hand, do not have separate finer openings, but rather one large sheath. Mittens have been long trusted to keep hands warmer than gloves, but with the disadvantage that mittens generally eliminate the user use of their fingers. A hybrid of a glove and mitten contains open-ended sheaths for the four fingers (e.g., fingerless glove, but not the thumb) and an additional compartment encapsulating the four fingers. This compartment can be lifted off the fingers and folded back to allow the individual fingers ease of movement and access while the hand remains covered.
Fingerless gloves are useful where dexterity is required that gloves or mittens would otherwise restrict. Cigarette smokers and church organists often use fingerless gloves. Some gloves may also include a gauntlet that extends partway up the arm. Cycling gloves for road racing or touring are usually fingerless. Guitar players often use fingerless gloves in circumstances when weather is much too cold to play with an un-covered hand.
However, these past ad-hoc approaches have many drawbacks. For example, fingerless gloves do not keep the user's fingers warm, while gloves and mittens severely restrict dexterity. Furthermore, the hybrid approaches do not sufficiently warm the thumb, nor do they provide the dexterity and maneuverability required for some jobs and activities. For example, if a user needs to quickly and conveniently use their fingers in a very precise fashion (e.g., bow hunting) they must put down whatever may be in their hand, take off the glove or remove the finger hood, and store it in their pocket in the case of gloves, or allow the hood to dangle in the case of a hybrid. Then, to make matters more difficult, to put the glove back on or put after the activity is over the same operation is required. Furthermore, in situations where the user needs to be both fast and silent, such as bow or rifle hunting, these past approaches simply do not work because they are far too noisy, and a bow and arrow requires two hands at all times.
As such, a new hand warmer that obviates the above shortcomings is needed.